Mortising machine



Aug- 5, 1930. w. A. HOTCHKlSS 1,772,253

HORTISING' MACHINE Filed June 5, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Walter A. Hoiclzlrz'ss ATTORNEY Aug. 5, 1930. w. A. HOTCHKISS MORTISING CHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed June 5, 1929 l NVENTOR Wa [fer A Ho zchk z'ss A'ITORNE g- 1930. w. A. HOTCHKISS 1,772,253

MORTISING' IACHINE Filed June 5, 1929 3 She ets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 0 1261 A Ha fcfz 101% ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 5, 1930 WALTER A. HOTCHKISS,

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or ronnrnetron, oonnnorrou'r MORTISING- MACHINE Application filed June 5, 5229. Serial No. 338,634. I

This invention relates to automatic woodworking machinery, and more particularly to a mortising machine raving a hopper attachment for successively feeding a plurality of strips into position to be mortised.

One object of this invention is to provide a mortising machine having an adjustable stopping attachment for determining the location of the mortised portion of the wooden l0 strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mortising machine having resilient mechanism for securely clamping a strip against the backplate of the machine during the mortising operation.

A further object is to provide a inortising machine of the above nature in which the stopping mechanism comprises a rotary shaft located alongside the strip and having one or more adjustable stop collars mounted upon said shaft and adapted to be brought into the path of said strip.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature in which the strip clamping mechanism will be intermittently .op-

erated by a cam-controlled device.

A further object is to provide a machine of the above nature in which the wooden strips are adapted to be fed into mortising position by a continuously-driven endless sprocket chain having lugs at spaced intervals for engaging the ends of the strips, said chain having a friction slipping connection with a source of power.

A further object is to provide a machine of the above nature which will be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, and very eliicient and durable in use.

Vith these and other objects in view there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawings one form in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

Fig. 1 represents a front view of the mortising machine. I

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the cam-operated strip clamping mechanism,

the line 3-'3 of Fig. 1, looking to the righ taken alo- D t J a transverse sectional view ofthe hopper for containing a supply of the strips to be mortised, said view being taken along the line 44loi Fig. 1, looking to the right. i i

5 and 6 are front and side views respectively or the first form of stop collar embodying the invention.

Fig. 7 is a view of a modified form of stop collar.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the stop collar shown in Fig. 7, taken along the line 88 of said figure. V

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the strips after it has been 'mortised. v

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates the base of the machine which is adapted to rest upon the floor of a room. Mounted on the upper part of the base 10 is a horizontal platform 11 1 m which the strips 12, herein shown as sash strips, are to be supported during the mortising operation, which is accomplished by a reciprocating vertical cutting tool"13 adapted to be operated at suitable intervals by mechanism, not shown, connected with an overhead motor 15. The tool 18 is preferably of the type capable of producing rectangular inortised recesses 14 in the strips 12 but it will be understood that any other type 0;? boring or cutting tool may be employed within the spirit of the invention.

The strips to be mortised are fed by hand into a hopper located atthe right-hand .portion of the machine and comprising a smoothly curved forwardly-convex back plate 16 and a plurality of similarly curved upstandb'ars 17, three in this instance, said bars having horizontal slotted bottom flanges 18 by means of which said bars may be adjustably attached to the platform 11, as by screws 19 and nuts 19 Feeding mechanism In order to successively feed the strips 12 to the lett ot the platform llinto the mor- The sprocket chain 20 is provided at spaced intervals with lugs 29, three in this instance, adapted to engage the lowermost strip 1n the hopper.

. In order to prevent more than one strip 12 from being fed forward at one time, provision is made of a vertical bar 30 adapted to be adjustably held at any height above the platform 11, as by a pair of knurled hand screws 31.

Stopping mechanism In order to accurately stop the motion of the strip 12 when it reaches the desired positions for cutting the mortised recesses therein, provision is made of a pair of two part stop collars 32 and 37 having radially projecting lugs 33 and 38 respectively on their peripheries. The stop collars are adapted to be securely clamped around a shaft 34 by means of threaded bolts 35 as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The shaft 34 is mounted in suitable bearings 35* and 36 carried by the platform 11 of the machine in such a position that the lugs 33 and 38 will liein alinement with the strips 12 at certain periods, and out of alinement therewith at other periods, the distance between the collars 32 and 37 corresponding to the distance between the mortised recesses 14 and 14 The stop collars 32 and 37 are so arranged on theshaft 34 that the lugs 33 and 38 will lie 180 degrees apart, or in other-words, at diametrically opposite positions. Hence, when the lug 33 is in its stopping position in contact with the strip 12, the lug 38 will be out of alinernent therewith, and vice versa.

The speed of rotation of the shaft 34 is so arranged as to cause the lug 33 of the stop collar 32 to first come into alinement with the strip 12 for mortising the recess 14. As the shaft 34 rotates, the lug 33 will move out of alinem-ent with the strip 12 and the lug 38 of the stop'collar 37 will move into alinement therewith. for holding the strip 12 during the mortising of the second recess 14 therein.

Friction slipping mechanism In order to permit the sprocket chain 25 to press the strip to the left against the stop collar which is in alinement therewith, provisionis made of a roller 39 for engagement with the loose belt 25. The roller 39 is mounted on an arm 40 fulcrumed at 41 in a frame 42, the free end of said arm carrying a depending rod 43 on which a weight 44 is suspended.

By means of this construction, whenever a strip strikes either of the lugs 33 or 38 of the stop collars 32 and 37, the loose belt 25 will slip upon its pulleys 24 and 26, but by reason of the friction produced by the weight 44, said belt 25 will exert a continuous driving force upon the'pulley 24 cansing the sprocket chain lug 29, which is in contact with the strip, to hold it firmly in position. a

CZamping mechanism In order to hold the strip 12 against the back plate 44 of the platform 11 during the mortising operation, provision is made ofa pair of resilient spring clamps 45 and 46. The clamp 45 has a permanent adjustment, being mounted upon a vertical rod 47 rigidly secured to the platform 11 asby a bracket member 48.

The clamp 46, however, is adapted to press against the strip 12 only during the period when the latter is being mortised, this being accomplished by mounting the clamp 46 onan oscillating vertical shaft 49,-whichis journaled in a bracket 50 on-the platform 11 and in a pedestal 51 secured to the floor.

Secured to the shaft 49 at a point intermediate its ends is a horizontal arm 52, held rigidly upon said shaft by a setscrew 53. The arm 52 is pivotally connected at 54 to a rearwardly extending horizontal link 55, the rear end of which is pivoted at 56 to an'upwardly extending lever 57 having a handle 58 at its upper endand being fulcrumed at a bracket 59 secured to the cam disc 61 mounted on a horizontal cam shaft 62 driven at constant speed by suitable mechanism not shown located within the interior of the mortising machine.

The cam shaft 62 is journaled at its righthand end in a boss 63 formed on the base 10 of the machine, and said shaft passes through a vertical bearing pedestal 64 near its lefthand end where it forms a support for an elbow-shaped bracket 65 having enlarged cylindrical end bearing sections 66 and 67. The cylindrical. bearing section 66 is fitted around the left-hand end of the shaft 62, while the section 67 fits around the lower end of a ver-,

tical shaft 68, said shafts 62 and 68 having intermeshing pinions 69 and 7 0 respectively. The shaft 68 is provided at its upper end with a pinion 71 meshing with a pinion 7 2 0n' the stop-collar shaft 34 previously described.

ioo

Operation In operation, the lowermost strip 12 will be removed from the hopper and forced to the left by one of the lugs 29 of the sprocket wheel 20 until said strip reaches the first operating position shown in Fig. 1 where it will be prevented from further movement by the right-hand stop-collar 32. The strip will also be pressed toward the back plate by the spring clamp 45. Soon after the strip 12 has reached the first operating position, the rotation of the cam disc 61 will cause the link 55 to move forwardly, rotating the arm 52 and theshaft 49, and thereby forcing the spring clamp 46 into engagement with the left-hand part of the strip, thereby preventing said strip from accidentally moving out of position during the mortising operation.

The strip will remain in the first operating position until the mortising tool 13 has formed the recess 14 therein. Shortly thereafter the lug 33 will be rotated out of alinement with said strip and the lug 38 rotated into alinement therewith. The spring clamp 46 will then be released permitting the continued pressure of the sprocket chain lug 29 to force the strip again to the left until it strikes the lug 38, said strip being then in the second operating position. The spring clamp will then again engage the left-hand part of the strip, whereupon the mortising tool 13 will then again descend and will cut the recess 14 in the strip. 7 I

The continued rotation of the shaft 34 will then cause the lug 38 to move out of alinement with the strip and the rotation of the cam disc 61 will simultaneously release the spring clamp 46. The sprocket chain lug 29 will then again come into action forcing another strip 12 into the first operating position, the original strip which is now complete being ejected out of the machine by the lug 33 on the collar 32 which has again come into alinement with the path of the strips.

In the modified form of stop collar 73 shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the construction is similar in all respects to the stop collar shown in Figs. 5 and 6 with the exception that the bottom half 74 of the stop collar is also provided with a second radially projecting lug 75. When this form of stop collar is used, it will be understood that the teeth on the pinions will be so chosen that the shaft 34 will rotate at one-half the rate of speed as in the case where the first form of stop lugs are employed.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure but may be modified and embodied in various other what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In an automatic woodworking machine, a frame, means for advancing a strip along said frame, reciprocating means forcutting a pair of spaced recesses in said strip, a slowly rotating shaft located alongside the path of said strips, a pair of spaced stop collars secured to said shaft, said collars having radially extending lugs adapted to successively come into alinement with said strip to hold it in its two operating positions.

2. In an automatic woodworking machine, frame, means for advancing a strip along frame, reciprocating means for cutting a pair of spaced recesses in said strip, a slowly rotating shaft located alongside the path of said strips, a pair of spaced stop collars adjustably secured to said shaft, said collars having radially extending lugs adapted to successively come into alinement with said strip to hold it in its two operating positions.

3. In automatic woodworking machine, a frame, means for moving a strip along said frame, reciprocating means for cutting a recess in said strip, a slowly rotating shaft located alongside the path of said strip, a stop collar secured to said shaft, said collar having a radially extending lug adapted 'to he brought into alinement with said strip to hold it in operating position.

4. In an automatic woodworking machine, a frame, means for moving a strip along said frame, reciprocating means for cutting a recess in said strip, a slowly rotating shaft located alongside the path of said strip, a stop collar adjustably secured to said shaft, said collar having a radially extending lug adapted to be brought into alinement with said strip to hold it in operating position.

In testimony whereof, I have'affixed my signature to this specification.

WALTER A. HOTOHKISS. 

